Friends
by PhoenixFalls
Summary: Prompt: Pre-relationship, JJ gets jealous over another woman in Emily's apartment on Emily's birthday


Prompt: Pre-relationship, JJ gets jealous over another woman in Emily's apartment

Emily grinned as there was a knock on her door and managed to just refrain from skipping all the way to the entryway where she pulled open the door to reveal a tall woman with stylishly disheveled black tightly coiled curls and a wide smile on her face.

"Jo!" Emily exclaimed, immediately gathering the woman in her arms and hugging her while pulling her into the foyer. "I wasn't expecting you for another four hours."

Joanne Douglas was the daughter of a Nigerian Ambassador mother and English socialite father and one of the only people from Emily's childhood that she kept in constant contact with. They only got to see each other a few times every other year or so as Joanne had a full schedule as an in-demand lawyer and of course Emily was busy with work all the time but it made the times they did get to see each other all the better.

"I got an earlier flight." Joanne said by way of explaining her earliness. "I didn't think you'd mind. Happy birthday, by the way." She pulled in her travel suitcase after her and shut the door with a grin.

"No I definitely don't mind. Go ahead and put your stuff in the spare room and I'll pour us something to drink."

"Pre-gaming!" Joanne replied, walking backwards towards the stairs. "I like it!"

Emily snorted and shook her head, making her way into her kitchen and rummaging around her liquor cabinet for something suitable. She was in the middle of fixing two gin and tonics when a pair of arms slid around her waist and she felt Joanne's chin rest against her shoulder.

"Hi." Joanne purred in Emily's ear causing her to shiver.

Emily shimmied out of the loose grip around her waist and turned to face her friend, biting her lower lip and handing a drink over. "Hey." She replied lowly.

Emily and Joanne had a quintessential friends with benefits kind of relationship. The only love they felt for each other was platonic. They'd tried dating in college but quickly discovered that while their sex life was great, they were more suited to friends who occasionally slept together than anything else. It was nice in Emily's opinion; like a more intimate kind of friendship that brought them closer.

"So who is she?" Joanne asked, hopping up onto the island counter and taking a sip of her drink.

Emily raised her eyebrows and leaned against the sink. "Who is who?"

Joanne laughed and shook her head, curls bouncing gently with her. "Come on Em, I'm smarter than that. You've been playing avoid the topic every time I've brought up your love life and any other time you'd have followed me upstairs and had me flat on my back before I'd even have time to unpack. So who is she?"

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Emily grumbled good-naturedly.

"Not when it comes to you."

Emily sighed and shook her head. "Doesn't matter, it's never going to happen."

"Whoa, do my ears deceive me or does Emily Prentiss sound like she's finally met her match?"

"I'm serious, Jo."

Joanne frowned slightly like she was thinking and tapped a slender finger against her chin for a moment. "Oh bollocks, okay, it's bad then. Is she married?"

Emily shook her head.

Joanne made a sour face. "Oh no, is she straight?"

"No but wouldn't that be the _worst_?"

"Okay I give up, what's the problem then?"

"She's way out of my league and she's not interested."

Joanne scoffed. "Please, _I_ am way out of your league and are you sure she's not interested or is that just your bizarrely low self confidence talking?"

"I do not have 'bizarrely low' self confidence thankyouverymuch."

"When it comes to relationships you sure do. It would be charming if it weren't so bloody frustrating."

"Well I'm pretty sure about this. Besides, we work together, it wouldn't work."

"Oh my god, is this the Jennifer you're always talking about?"

Emily wrinkled her nose. "I'm not _always_ talking about JJ."

"Damn near and I didn't hear a denial in there."

"Yes, okay? I've got it _bad_ for this woman, Jo. It's getting ridiculous."

"Do you flirt with her?"

"Yeah but you know how I am with friends. You and me flirt all the time and it doesn't mean anything."

Joanna raised an eyebrow. "Yes but you and I occasionally sleep together, Em. I'm guessing you and JJ aren't friends like you and I are friends, are you?"

"In my dreams." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Does _she_ flirt with _you_?"

Emily shrugged and took a long swallow of her drink. "You know I'm terrible at telling whether or not people are flirting with me with any seriousness."

"Ah yes, well that's why you have me. So chin up, buttercup, I'm on the case."

"Oh _fabulous_ and what, exactly, does _that_ entail?"

"You'll see. When are we meeting all your little friends?"

Emily rolled her eyes again. "Penelope and JJ should be here in a couple hours to 'pre-game' and we're meeting everyone else at the bar."

"Great, so I have time to make an impression." Joanna drained the rest of her glass and slid off the countertop. "Now, do you have anything I can wear while I do my hair and makeup? I didn't bring any pyjamas or anything."

"Do you even _own_ pyjamas?"

Joanna grinned and shrugged. "I don't see the point of taking off clothes and putting on different clothes just to sleep."

"Ever the pragmatist." Emily snorted. "Top drawer in the dresser in the closet is where I keep all my oversized shirts."

"Fabulous, you're a doll." Joanne said, kissing Emily on the cheek and turning to go back upstairs.

"Are you hungry, Jo?" Emily called after her. "I can start dinner now, it'll be just about done by the time you're out of the shower."

"Starved!"

Emily smiled to herself and set about searching her cabinets for something to make for dinner. Deciding that she would have to go shopping, she settled on ordering takeout, knowing Joanne well enough to feel safe in putting in an order for her. Emily refreshed her drink and made her way to the couch, still smiling slightly. It was good to have Joanna back in her physical space again though she was wary about whatever plans Joanna had about seeing if JJ were interested in her. Knowing Jo, it wasn't bound to be something Emily would be too thrilled about but she also trusted her friend not to do anything too horrible or embarrassing.

OOO

"Who is this Joanna person anyway?" Garcia asked as she guided Esther through the traffic of the city.

JJ shrugged noncommittally. "All I know is that she's Emily's best friend from her embassy brat days and they used to have a thing."

"A thing?"

"Don't sound so gleeful about it, Pen." JJ grumbled.

"Well hey, it's past tense right? You still have a shot."

"Oh please; if I dropped any bigger hints I'd have to show up to her apartment wearing nothing but a determined grin."

"That's not a bad idea Jayje."

"Hah, you're funny. She's just not interested, it's fine."

Garcia clucked her tongue and shook her head. JJ could say it was 'fine' all she wanted to, she still didn't sound fine about it. Ever since Emily showed up at the BAU, she could tell that Emily and JJ were drawn to each other. Everyone could tell it, but both of them were dense and unsure of themselves. No matter how much prodding they received they always seemed to be just out of the other's grasp. Garcia and Morgan were this close to locking them in one of the unused file rooms until they sorted themselves out but it hadn't affected their work or friendship dynamic at all so they left it alone. Maybe she could buddy up to this Joanna woman and find out from her what it took to get into Emily's pants. For JJ of course.

OOO

Emily laughed as she watched Joanna hop around to the music she'd put on the stereo, her hair half done and wearing one of Emily's overlarge Yale shirts that was more of a nightgown on her but since Joanne was three inches taller, it fell tantalizingly high on her thighs.

"How long does it take you to do your hair anyway?" Emily asked, handing her friend another gin and tonic.

Joanne scoffed and took the drink, raising an eyebrow. "Oh please love, you're lucky it's not wash day, we'd spend your birthday right here doing my hair." She reached out and ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "We can't all be cursed with your White girl hair, Em."

Emily laughed and swatted Joanne's hand away from her and was about to say something more when there was a knock on the door. "That should be the Mexican food I ordered."

"Oh thank god," Joanna said, sauntering towards the door and pulling it open only to reveal two gobsmacked blondes. "Oh hello! You must be Emily's friends."

"And you must be Joanna!" The spectacled one said while the petite blonde next to her looked like she was doing her best not to glare.

Ah yes, _that_ must be Jennifer. Joanna grinned and extended her hand. "I see my reputation precedes me."

"I'm Penelope, but everyone calls me Garcia and this," she jerked a thumb at her companion who was still sizing Joanne up. "Is JJ."

"I figured." Joanna said good naturedly, shaking Penelope's hand and knowing better than to extend it towards JJ.

"Jo? Was that the food at the door?" Emily asked while walking into the foyer. She smiled at her friends on seeing them and waved them in, Joanna moving out of the way to let them by. While her back was turned Garcia mouthed 'oh my god she's hot' at Emily and Emily rolled her eyes, her gaze softening when it landed on JJ.

"Let me fix you guys something to drink. Jo? You wanna not be half naked or?"

Joanna shrugged and reached for the gin. "Never bothered you before." She smiled brightly when JJ frowned and Garcia laughed.

"Jo…"

"You're no fun!" Joanna announced before bounding back up the stairs.

"Well she sure is a force of nature." Garcia said, holding back a laugh when she heard JJ mutter 'she sure is _something_ all right' under her breath.

"You have no idea." Emily replied. She handed JJ a drink and nudged her with her elbow a little. "You okay Jayje? You're kind of quiet."

"Yeah, fine." JJ said, forcing a smile that turned genuine when Emily smiled back. "Happy birthday, Em." She pulled Emily into a hug that ended up lingering just a little too long much to Garcia's amusement.

"Oh that reminds me! I have presents!" Garcia interjected gleefully, fishing around in her overlarge purse.

"Oh great here we go." Emily muttered.

OOO

JJ was so over this Joanne woman. She was gorgeous, she was funny, she was charming, and she was pissing JJ off. She hung all over Emily which JJ figured (hoped) was because they hadn't seen each other in two years but that didn't mean she had to like it. She was currently sitting at the bar in a sour mood waiting for another round of drinks. She had her back to the dance floor, as she wasn't sure she could keep watching Emily and Joanna dancing together. She'd have to eventually since Emily made her promise to save a dance for her and she'd be damned if she was going to let Joanna ruin that too.

Her acerbic sulking deepened further when Joanne sidled up to the bar next to her, slightly out of breath from dancing. JJ returned the smile the taller woman shot her though she was sure hers probably looked forced.

"You don't like me very much do you?" Joanne asked with a grin, no offence in her tone.

"Wow, you get right to the point, don't you?" JJ returned, not answering the question.

"I've never seen the purpose in beating around the bush." Joanne admitted with a shrug. "So?"

"I don't have any reason to dislike you."

"That's not really an answer." Joanna leant against the bar counter with an elbow and tilted her head to the side to regard JJ. "The only reason I can come up with is that you're jealous."

"Jealous?" JJ winced at how flustered she sounded. "I don't have anything to be jealous about."

"You would if you were interested in Emily."

JJ scowled at the knowing smirk on Joanne's face. "I'm not interested in Emily." She tried.

Joanne laughed. "You might want to try that again when you can convince yourself of that fact."

"You don't know me."

"You don't know me either and yet you've been treating me like I'm the other woman in your relationship."

"Emily and I aren't seeing each other."

Joanne shrugged. "Could have fooled me. You two together is like watching the Emily and JJ Show." She waved her hand dismissively when JJ sputtered. "Please you think me and Em are bad, you guys are on a whole other level."

"Could have fooled me, she seems pretty interested in _you_."

Joanne laughed again and JJ resisted the impulse to growl at her. "Em and I have history, sure but _you_ and Em? You guys have a future." She turned to fully face JJ. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you, JJ. I've been doing a little experiment tonight."

"Experiment?"

"Mmhm. See, Emily is crazy about you but she thinks you're not interested. Now I don't know you but for as much as she talks about you and as thick as Em can be, I knew it was slim to none that you weren't interested so I've been playing clingy to see your reaction."

"So you're not interested in Emily?"

Joanne shook her head and JJ felt relief wash over her. "Like I said, we have history but that's all it is. We're friends. Now I really think you should get your dance in, yeah?" She grinned at JJ and winked, picking up several of the shots set in front of JJ and helping her to carry them back to their table.

JJ stared after her for a moment, wondering how she let herself get played and if Emily appreciated that she had such a good friend. She grabbed the rest of the drinks and headed back to the table where Hotch and Rossi were talking to each other.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, setting down the shots and taking one for herself.

Rossi chuckled. "Oh Morgan and Garcia are trying to teach Reid how to dance and Emily and Joanne are right over there." He said.

JJ followed where he was pointing and saw Emily and Joanne dancing rather closely together, Joanne appearing to be talking to Emily over the din of the music. For once, JJ didn't feel the pang of jealousy in the pit of her stomach when she saw them together and she walked over to them, tapping Joanne on the shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" JJ asked with an almost unsure smile.

Joanne flashed her a toothy grin and stepped away from Emily, gesturing towards her and immediately being swept off by Morgan leaving JJ to fall easily into Emily's arms.

"So Joanne is…interesting." JJ started, draping her arms over Emily's neck.

Emily chuckled and placed her hands on JJ's hips. "Don't mind her, she always means well."

"I can tell."

"I saw you two talking at the bar, what were you talking about?"

"You."

Emily swallowed hard. "Me?" she managed to squeak out. "What about me?"

"About you and her…and me and you." JJ smiled, feeling a rush of confidence as Emily's grip on her waist tightened.

"Me and you?"

"Emily," JJ began, thinking back to her conversation with Garcia. "If I dropped you hints any bigger, I'd have to show up to your apartment wearing nothing but a determined grin."

Emily's eyes grew wide for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face. "That's not a terrible idea, to be honest."

"How about you take me to dinner first?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Good. Now are you going to kiss me already or what?"

Emily grinned and leaned in to capture the blondes lips, laughing when she pulled away at Joanna over JJ's shoulder giving her the thumbs up. Happy birthday indeed.


End file.
